Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes
Distilled In Canada: Blended at cask strength and bottled by Found North Whisky. No additives, non-chill filtered.
Proof: 119.0.
Age: A blend of 15-23-year-old whiskies finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Cognac and New American, oak Casks.
Grain Ratio: 85% Corn/14% Rye/1% Malted Barley.
Price: $159.99.
Appearance: Light golden caramel.
Nose
Red berry compote, cherries, apricot, crème brûlée, toffee, toasted hazelnuts, chocolate, vanilla icing, lots of sage, nutmeg, lemon citrus brightness, floral and white pepper spice. As the session continues, berries and stone fruit become more pronounced with sweet oak. The spice on the nose was initially hot but settled down after more rest. The flavors and complexity are incredible.
Palate
With an excellent viscous mouthfeel, the nose resembles the palate with red berries, apricots, crème brûlée, toffee, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla bean, sage, nutmeg, floral notes, and oak. Like an avalanche, white pepper spice slowly enters the sip and gains intensity as it rolls over the palate. While this adds some excitement to the sip, its intensity can be distracting when focusing on the other flavors.
Finish
Berries and stone fruit return as the spice settles down with hazelnut, chocolate, sage, vanilla bean, and oak. Oak develops into pipe tobacco, with berries still lingering in the background. What’s left is a long oak-forward finish with quite a bit of dryness at the end.
Conclusion
I love the finishes used in Hell Diver, which feature berries and stone fruit flavors from the sherry and cognac and the delicious toffee, chocolate, and toasted hazelnuts from the American oak. None of which overpower the underlying whisky. The nose in Hell Diver is incredible, which carries most of those flavors onto the palate. However, I’d prefer less spice on the palate and a finish that I wish carried more flavor without the dryness. Comparing Hell Diver to the last three Found North flagship batches (006, 007, & 008) gave me the same results as when I compared them to Peregrine. Like Peregrine, Hell Diver offered more complexity and was superior to some batches in some ways but not better than every batch in every way. I had a similar experience when comparing Peregrine to Hell Diver. Hell Diver comes close to Peregrines’ complexity but doesn’t match its consistency and balance of flavors throughout the sip. But I love Hell Diver’s flavor profile just as much (maybe more) as Peregrine.
My advice for those who scored a bottle of Hell Diver is to give it time to open up. Even with my 100ml sample bottle, there was a huge improvement in the fruit and oak flavors from my first to fourth pour. Those like me who missed out on purchasing Hell Diver can take solace in knowing that you can still enjoy a similar experience with other Found North private blends, single barrel, and flagship batch releases, which are much more readily available. Or try a sample of Hell Diver from a lucky friend.
Rating: 8.9/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
